


we found wonderland (you and I got lost in it)

by whiffingbooks



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Book 6: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, F/M, Fluff, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-17
Updated: 2019-03-17
Packaged: 2019-11-21 08:32:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18139871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whiffingbooks/pseuds/whiffingbooks
Summary: Ginny shrugged off the cloak and handed it back to him. “Well this was fun especially how you tripped over your own feet when Mrs. Norris was nearby.”“That’s a demon cat and I have a healthy fear towards it.”“Of course you have. It really wasn’t because you were trying to poke me.”“Nope.”“Good."She moved a little away from him and he instinctively caught her arm. She seemed a bit thrown off by his action. Feeling his face redden, he hastened to say, “I wanted to say thank you. I really needed that break.”Or where Harry and Ginny spend Valentine's Day together.





	we found wonderland (you and I got lost in it)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [gryffindormischief](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gryffindormischief/gifts).



> Hey everyone! I wanted to post this on Valentine's Day but due to my exams I postponed it a little (a long time). This is a gift to @gryffindormischief for the generous and amazing fanfics! I love your work!
> 
> Please enjoy and leave kudos and comments!

Harry has never liked Valentine’s Day.

If someone asked him the reason behind this dislike, it was because he didn’t understand why he should celebrate his love for a person on a single day as if it was compulsory. While that might have been a reasonable excuse, the truth was much more layered. The real reason was that none of the Valentine’s Days he had ever spent were anything less than dreadful. He didn’t remember the ones spent in the tiny cramped cupboard of the Dursleys (everything related to his time before discovering his magical heritage was a blur). Also the ones spent at Hogwarts were bland if not torturous.

Maybe it was the aftermath of the horrible date with Cho the year before which sealed his opinions on the wretched day. But the point remained: _he just didn’t do Valentine’s Day_. The only year which still brought a sense of contentment was the one in which Ginny Weasley had given him the singing Valentine in front of hoards of students (at that time though it was downright mortifying and he had hoped the ground swallowed him up to save both his and her dignity).

All in all his experiences of that day were not noteworthy. This year, however, the day was not just wretched. It felt as if this year had pulled all the stops at being the most horrible, dreadful, nerve wracking, pain inducing, heart cracking and soul twisting Valentine’s Day ever. A small part of his brain reminded him of the futility of dwelling on it but the larger part and all of his heart was suffocating him with all these feelings which he had never paid much attention to before (not even for Cho which was a miracle because she had made him go from embarrassed to confused to angry in a record time that even Voldemort had been unable to).

It would have been a normal no-good Valentine’s Day if not for a) Ron spending the day being mushy and cheesy with an equally clingy Lavender and going at each other like a pair of eels; b)Hermione sulking off to the library to spend an entire day in the company of “inanimate objects which won’t disgust her” (she made that remark quite publicly and within a limited distance between them and the cringe worthy couple) and c) the most important reason that Ginny was going to spend it with Dean, his former friend (according to him though there has never been a single rude remark from Dean), and he could stand Ron and Lavender and Hermione but he could not stand seeing her with someone without feeling as if the horrible chest monster was strangling him from the inside and urging him to hex the boyfriend without holding anything back.

So he decided to go through all the lessons for the day and ignore the gaggle of girls led by Romilda Vane who would undoubtedly try to disrupt his plans with their chaotic giggling.

Of course he hadn’t accounted for the actions of the one person who had had a noticeable increase of influence over him for quite some time and how she could turn his entire being with a single gesture.

****************************************************************************************************************************

14th of February morning proved to be better at Divination than Professor Trelawney. It was bright and sunny with the sun rays providing the surrounding areas with a kind of filter that only the best Muggle pictures have. The wind was chilly but rather than leaving the students with frost bites, it flushed their cheeks. From the Gryffindor Sixth Year boys’ dorm window, Harry could easily see the serene lake and the lush green grass covered by snow as white as clouds. _It was going to be pleasant day_ , he thought.

Hearing a rustling sound behind him, he turned and spotted Ron blearily rubbing his eyes and scratching his stomach while yawning.

“You’re up early. Starting with the plans for Lavender super quick?” Letting out a yawn, he rummaged through his trunk for the books for his lessons for that day. Thank god that it was a Friday and he wouldn’t have classes the next day. More time to avoid the responsibilities.

Ron started stretching his long arms to focus on anything other than the flush of his ears. “Lavender wanted to spend all day together. Sorry mate you have to sit alone during Transfiguration and Charms.” At least he didn’t have to pretend to tolerate Lavender for the day. It was a win-win.

Having found his discarded jumper, he started pulling it down his head but due to his treacherous glasses that he had forgotten to remove, the task became almost unbearable and the jumper became tangled. “As long as I don’t have to see you both snogging I’ll be alright. Besides there’s Hermione isn’t there? I’ll sit by her.”

It was still quite early by the time they had finished getting ready for the day. Ron’s face was still pale from being reminded of Hermione but Harry refrained from saying a word. It was their business after all. As much as he’d like to hex them into oblivion, he felt this was an issue they both needed to solve themselves. They couldn’t keep avoiding it like the Krum issue.

The only downside to waking up at five in the morning was coming across Dean and Seamus talking. They were chatting about Quidditch when suddenly Seamus perked up and asked the question that Harry had been dreading at the same time anticipating.  
“So what are your plans with Ginny today? Isn’t it going to be big since you guys have been shacking up for nearly a year?”  
It was a pity Ron had bumbled his way out earlier and he hadn’t because of his sickening love for self torture.

Dean chuckled a little but gestured at his mate to lower his voice, undoubtedly thinking about his girlfriend’s brother. “They’re nonexistent. We’ll probably take a stroll around the greenhouse and snog a little. Ginny’s not that much into Valentine’s Day and when I had pointed out that I’d like to have a romantic outing, she laughed right on my face. We’ve been together for nearly eight months but she still manages to catch me by surprise.”

“You don’t see a girl like that in every century.”

“Amen to that.”

It was a ridiculous thing to be happy about but he couldn’t help it. _So Ginny hates today too,_ thought Harry with a grin, _looks like we have another thing in common_.

In fact so engrossed he was in his thoughts that he bumped into the star of his countless dreams and imaginations and nearly sent her tumbling down. Ginny, with her fast reflexes, caught his arm and steadied herself and unknowingly left a permanent tingling feeling on his arm which caused heat to rise up the back of his neck. A warm sensation flooded his gut and the chest monster purred.

“Harry? Gosh I thought it was the Hogwarts Express ramming me down rather than you. Why are you in such a hurry?” Her light brown eyes twinkled brightly with amusement and his gaze dropped to her freckled hand which tugged a flaming red strand of hair behind her left ear. She has freckles on her ears too, thought Harry absentmindedly.

Clearing his voice he answered, “No reason. Going somewhere?” He was slightly impressed (and secretly appalled) to hear his voice drop an octave significantly lower to create the deeper, mature sound that he had heard his father use to impress his mother.

He saw an undecipherable look on Ginny’s face which cleared so quickly that he felt he had imagined it. Smiling slightly she leaned closer and whispered, “I’m meeting Dean for a quick walk before breakfast so that I don’t have to fulfill all those obligations beholden to this godforsaken day. What about you? Planning to hide away from the countless girls and guys readying themselves for you?” It was a miracle he did not do anything embarrassing (like faint at her proximity) in spite of smelling the flowery scent that had been haunting him since the first lesson of Potions and that was so distinctly Ginny he felt light headed.  
Taking a deep breath, he focused on the small freckle on top of her left eyebrow. “I have a feeling that I have to pull a Moody to save myself from unwanted drinks that I am going to be slipped today. What if someone slipped me a love potion? Or worse Snape’s shampoo. That would be the last straw.”

“It will be impossible trying to slip you something that doesn’t exist.”

“His hair oil then? He looks like he uses it to bathe every day.”

“First Malfoy and now Snape; your fixation with them is very suspicious. Your knowledge even more so. Anything you want to announce to your fan club?”

“Oh yes. I’d love to announce how I’ve been interested in their companionship but due to our personal conflicts such as an intense hatred that has transcended into a need to hex each other, we are not involved.”

“I don’t know who I should feel sorry for.”

“Me. Definitely me.”

“I’m sorry Mr. Potter that you have affection towards a man who feels the need to call you sir.”

Harry started chortling at that accompanied by Ginny’s slight giggles. Wiping his eyes, he looked at her incredulously. “Who told you that?”

“You think anybody needs to tell me that Sir Harry and Professor Snape got into a fight and Sir Harry destroyed his opponent’s will to live with just a sentence?” She raised her eyebrow and tilted her head back to throw him an _are-you-serious_ look.

He was just about to comment when there was a light pat on his shoulder. He turned his back to see Seamus grinning bashfully.  
“I’m sorry to interrupt but Dean and I was waiting for your conversation to end. You guys didn’t notice us so Dean went back to his dorm to wait for you Ginny.”

Harry turned quick enough to see the irritation and guilt slip away from her face and replaced with her usual cheery disposition but in her words there was an edge which made it perfectly clear to the two boys that she was currently quite cross with her laidback boyfriend for throwing a tantrum so early in the morning.

“I see. Well off you go then. I’ll talk to you guys later.” With that she trudged her way up into the dorm, her long mane trailing her like a veil.

There was a few minutes of awkward silence which was broken by Seamus awkwardly saying, “So Quidditch huh?”

****************************************************************************************************************************

In spite of the day starting on a positive note, by the time dinner rolled up Harry was contemplating having another go in Dumbledore’s office. That was strangely quite therapeutic. Nothing like vandalism of an authority’s properties.

The day started with him being in the front row seat of the epic make out session that his best friend and Lavender had engaged in. Breakfast was quiet except for those wet smacking noises he never wanted to hear again. Defense Against Dark Arts had also become a pain in his arse. Snape was unusually ruthless today which made Harry wonder whether he had exceptional hearing too. He had continued to berate him within an inch of his life when he snapped and made some remark that was enough to land him in detention. Judging by the sneer on Snape’s face, it was probably intentional.

Transfiguration was no better. Mcgonagall was her usual self but the lesson was fraught with tension between Hermione and the couple. She was furious with Ron for behaving as if he was the king of the world and angry at herself for caring.

“Hermione-“

“And he’s such a fool and so unkind! Have you seen them together? Acting like that in front of Mcgonagall; _I have never seen such a blatant display of disrespect!_ ”

She was not present at lunch and Lavender had gone off with Parvati to probably giggle about what Ron had done that day. As soon as she left, Ron clambered for information about Hermione.

“I’m allowed to show what I feel for my girlfriend openly. She shouldn’t judge me for doing what she did with Krum.”

“Ron pl-“

“And Lavender was really ups-“

Even Potions was becoming tiresome. Hermione still harped on him about the Half-Blood Prince and the fact that he was cheating. He was still excellent at Potions but Slughorn, in spite of his affection towards him, continued to elude. Harry knew he was evading the question of the memory but he was growing desperate. He needed that memory otherwise he wouldn’t have another lesson with Dumbledore. And he didn’t even want to think about the ramifications of not knowing the answer to Voldemort’s weakness.

The highlight of the day was Quidditch practice. Not only had he missed the sensation of flying, he had missed leading his team. Moreover he had missed gazing at Ginny unabashedly although he didn’t miss the bludgers that nearly sent him on his death bed when he was showing his appreciation towards the petite vivacious redhead. Today however there was something different. Ginny was behaving normally with him and scoring goals after goals. It was Dean that made him wary. He was sending Harry annoyed looks constantly even when his attention was focused on someone else. He hovered over Ginny and nearly cost her a goal. Harry would have intervened but she shot such a sharp look towards him that he scurried away metaphorically hiding his tail between his legs. Ron had shot his sister a look of annoyance and pride at that.

He wasn’t afraid of Dean but his behavior got him thinking: did Ginny know? Or worse, did Ron? He had caught Hermione giving him knowing looks every now and then but Ron had never indicated towards anything. Did that mean he approved of him? Or that he was so sure that Harry would never betray his trust? It made him feel guilty but he was incapable of holding back his feelings.

It wasn’t the same as it was with Cho. Cho had made him content at times and there was a warm feeling in his gut. But he didn’t really know her. He could state her favorite Quidditch team and a few facts but he didn’t know anything else. With Ginny it was different. Everything was a hundred times clearer when she was around. The feeling in his stomach so intense he was worried one day he would burst. He knew how she was with people she liked, people she disliked. How she took her tea, her favorite star, her small mannerisms which seem insignificant but make up who she is. Also, she regularly featured in those dreams which made him wake up in the middle of the night and sweat profusely. Cho had especially never made him feel that.

Speaking of Cho, his day grew worse when he ran into her while returning from another awkward dinner. At first both of them were flummoxed and she grew red at the sight of him. He saw her steel herself and open her mouth to say something, when he cut her off with a loud _‘excuse me’_ and stepped past her. He didn’t care about anything other than having a few minutes to himself.

****************************************************************************************************************************

At eleven in the night, he started contemplating the utility of N.E.W.T.S. Ron had already gone up to their dorm to get some rest after a happening day and Hermione had stopped hanging out with them at the Common Room. He didn’t want to stay back but he was already behind on his essays and using the late night to catch up on his homework which had taken a backseat. It was rare for him to do homework alone but since the silent feud between his two best friends started, he had sought after some much needed isolation. The Common Room was empty in spite of it being so early.

Harry was just debating between going to sleep and continue his work in vain when he heard the slight sound of footsteps. He looked up to see Ginny making her way downstairs with a frown on her face. She was wearing light pink pajamas which contrasted with the slight reddish hue of her face. Having been so deep in thought, she almost didn’t notice the lanky black-haired bespectacled boy till she entered the Common Room. Seeing her preoccupation, Harry cleared his throat lightly.  
Ginny turned around and within a split second her wand was trained on him. He let a smile grace his face; it was astounding how fast her reflexes were. Seeing him, her eyebrows furrowed lightly and she moved her wand away. She glided in front of him and flopped down on the single settee in front of him.

“Can’t sleep?” The fire was casting a soft glow on her features. Her long fiery hair was parted into two braids and from their messy appearance he could guess that she had spent a long time tossing in her bed.  
“Completing my homework.” He shrugged lightly.”You?”

Ginny didn’t answer immediately. Her eyes were trained on him with a burning gaze that he had seen many times in the last two years. It was the same look she had given him during those nights when they had a few heart to heart conversations which he never had the courage to have with his two best friends. 

She stood abruptly, catching him off guard. “Do you want to come with me to the kitchens? I’m craving hot chocolate.” He was going to question her further but the look on her face made him stop. 

“Sure. Let me grab a few things.” With that he grabbed his Invisibility Cloak and the Marauder’s Map and they set off.

****************************************************************************************************************************

Sneaking out after the dark with Ginny Weasley was an experience he never had and he suggested it to anyone who would hear him (although he hoped he’d be the only one).

Before exiting through the portrait hole, he pulled on his cloak on both of them when she giggled. Looking at her in askance, she answered, “I’ve never sneaked around under an Invisibility Cloak and this is making me a little bit giddy.”Even if she didn’t mean it like that he blushed fiercely.

“I hope it’s not a bad experience.”

“Oh no. It’s just I have always wanted one so that I could prank everyone more efficiently. Now give me the map.”

Without waiting for his permission, she swiped the Marauder’s Map off his fingers. He stupidly gaped at her when he saw her pointing her wand at it and murmuring the incantation _“I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.”_

“How the hell you know everything about it?”

Ginny spared him a passing glance before turning back towards the map. “Fred and George showed me the map in my first year. They were going to give it to me but I didn’t take it.”

“Why didn’t you take it?”

Without waiting to give a response, she held his hand, leaving a burning sensation on that place, and tugged him out of the portrait hole. He heard the Fat Lady drowsily question _“Who there?”_ but Ginny didn’t falter. She continued to lead him towards the kitchens through a few corridors he had never ventured after curfew.

She was silent for such a long time that Harry thought she had forgotten about his question when suddenly she spoke. “I liked the map. I had the map for two days and memorized every nook and corner shown on it. It was in the beginning of the first year. Then the whole thing with Riddle happened. When Fred and George approached me in my second year with the map, I didn’t want anything to do it. I didn’t want another piece of parchment that told me things by itself. Whose brains I couldn’t see. I started exploring Hogwarts on my own to have a detailed memory of this place. I replaced them with the ones I had learnt from the map. I didn’t give it any power to control me. The twins were a little disappointed but they gave it to you and coincidentally it found its true owner.”

“How di-“

“Sirius. He was once telling me how he, James, Remus and Peter had created a map that showed Hogwarts entirely. I can deduce everything after that Harry.”

He was silent for some time after. He had never known about this and felt like a complete heel. Of course she wouldn’t want it. Wasn’t he reminded of her past horrors before? 

A warm hand rested on his arm and startled him from his thoughts. Ginny was standing in front of the fruit bowl and giving him a knowing look. “It is not your fault that you don’t like to think about the past. Even I don’t. Plus you wouldn’t have known anything about it. So stop blaming yourself.” Turning around she tickled the pear and the pear turned into a door handle. She pulled off her cloak and turned the handle to enter.

Harry had never been to the kitchens at night. Unlike the morning, there were about twenty house elves still working. He figured that at night the number of people wanting food would be far fewer. A small elf dressed in a cloth having Hogwarts insignia stepped towards them with glee.

“Hello Miss Wheezy! Hello Mister Potter! What can I does to help?”

“Hello Jimmy.” She seemed to be quite familiar with the elf. “Can you make us some hot chocolate and crisps to take back?”

“Sure sure miss! We live to serve!”

“Thank you Jimmy.”

With that Jimmy the house elf bounded to the other equally eager house elves. Harry turned to Ginny with a befuddled look on his face which made her smile. “Jimmy and I met in my first year when I first started to visit the kitchens. He knows when I come.”

There were countless questions through his mind: why did Ginny frequent the kitchens? Why was she so secretive about it? Did Dean accompany her? If so, why wasn’t he here (not that he wanted him to be)?

Just as he opened his mouth to ask, she gave him a look that screamed _Later_.

****************************************************************************************************************************

“I started visiting the kitchens regularly because of the nightmares.”

Harry turned so fast to look at her that he nearly got a whiplash. They were sitting in a place so unfamiliar to him that it had taken multiple reassurances from Ginny to believe it even existed. But it did. It was an abandoned corridor which had fallen into disuse due to its structures crumbling. There was an enormous outgrowth of green tendrils and bushes that it was hidden away from the main building of Hogwarts. The corridor would have been uninhabitable if not for its beauty. There were countless flowers scattered around the place, flowers he recognized and those he never had heard about. The bushy outgrowth was comfortable underneath him and for the first time he felt utterly relaxed.

They had not been talking. He didn’t know what Ginny was thinking as by the time she spoke, they had already finished the crisps and slowly sipping the hot chocolate. He turned the statement over in his head but didn’t reply. She seemed to be steeling yourself before she continued.

“It was during my second year when these visits became regular. I had nightmares and Lupin had told us that the best way to recover is through chocolate. I guess it stuck. I stopped going to the kitchens when Umbridge was in charge but Jimmy continued to send food loyally. This year I started it again.”

“I really don’t know what to say to that except I wish I had done that too.”

“The prophecy’s about you right? You’re the Chosen One?” Hearing that question he startled. It was not a full moon but the moonlight was slipping through the tangles of the vines and bathing her in it. A soft glow seemed to emanate from her skin and her expression was hard to understand.

Harry felt a little indignant even though he tried to hide it. “Did you tell me all of that to open me up?”

Ginny however was unperturbed. She nodded and looked away as if he had answered her question. That did not make him feel better. 

“Calm down Harry. I do not believe in opening up to people to gain something. You should know that by now. I just needed to ask you that at least once.”

“And did you get your answer?”

“I got enough.”

He inhaled deeply and turned his body towards her. She looked pensive but he knew her well enough to understand that she was ready to answer his questions. The cards were in his hand. He just had to pick the right one.

“Why do you hate Valentine’s Day?” As soon as the question left him, he cringed. You had to ask that, his brain hammered at his stupidity. Ginny had a different reaction than he had hoped. She raised her eyebrow and gave him a brilliant smile that crinkled the corners of her eyes and made her look like a thousand stars. 

“You still thinking about it?”

“You’re practically the only person except me who hates today. Except Snape.”

“Snape, huh?”

“Stop it.”

“Hey you brought him up.”

She was grinning like Gilderoy Lockhart when he was explaining how he had won the Witch Weekly’s award for the Best Smile. Her eyes were twinkling violently and Harry had never found her more attractive and kissable. 

“I just think it’s silly. My introduction to this day has not been great you know. I had given a singing valentine to this boy who rejected me fabulously. Broke my heart he did.”

“I never rejected you. You never asked.”

“So if I had asked you, you would have said yes?”

This was it. He would never tell her outright how much he fancied her when she was dating Dean. And he would never try to break them up. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t let his intentions be known. For the first time, he was going to go after the things that made him happy. He owed it to Sirius. More importantly he owed it to the little red headed girl who had made him the singing valentine and the singing get well card.

“Maybe not then. But maybe later…” He trailed off after seeing her expression. She was looking at him with a soft smile, in a way he had never seen before.

“Later huh? I’ll keep that in mind.” With that she stood up and stretched her arm towards him. “We should return now. I don’t want to get caught with you because the Hogwarts rumor mill works better than the Daily Prophet.”

“Everything does.”

“Touché.”

****************************************************************************************************************************

The fire in the Common Room had reduced to a few glowing embers by the time they had returned. No one seemed to be waiting for them which was good because he didn’t know how he can explain to anyone that nothing had happened between them when it wasn’t true. Harry had felt something pass between them and by the look on Ginny’s face, she had too. The clock indicated it was ten minutes to twelve. 

Ginny shrugged off the cloak and handed it back to him. “Well this was fun especially how you tripped over your own feet when Mrs. Norris was nearby.”

“That’s a demon cat and I have a healthy fear towards it.”

“Of course you have. It really wasn’t because you were trying to poke me.”

“Nope.”

“Good.”

She moved a little away from him and he instinctively caught her arm. She seemed a bit thrown off by his action. Feeling his face redden, he hastened to say, “I wanted to say thank you. I really needed that break.”

Her eyes softened. “I know. With everything that’s been going on I knew you were a bit stressed. I’m glad I could help.”

“Yeah.” They both became increasingly well aware of the tension rising in the room. His eyes darted down to her lips but before he could even move, she said,” Well this has been fun. See you tomorrow?”

“Sure.” Instead of moving towards her dormitory, she slowly stepped closer. In the darkened room, her face was partially shadowed but the flowery scent overwhelmed his senses. He closed his eyes and sniffed the air, hoping against hope that she didn’t point it out when he felt a soft pair of lips touched his cheek lightly. It was for a few seconds but for him, time seemed to have slowed down. Ginny stepped away from him but the place she had touched felt like it was on fire. The monster in his chest roared his approval and urged him to grab and snog the daylights out of her but he resisted. Ginny’s friendship was more important than anything else.

“Harry?”

“Yeah?” He seemed to have tuned out of everything within his vicinity and projected out of his body. He focused on her difficultly. She had reached the top of the stairs but hesitating to go without doing something. _You have done enough,_ thought Harry. 

“I’ve started to take strolls on Valentine’s Day this year with the person I really like. Keep that in mind.”

He watched her walk away. His thoughts had never been more jumbled and confused and he didn’t have the mental capacity to think about what she said. Sighing in a lovesick manner, he trudged his towards his dorm to embrace the dreams of the fiery haired witch that would surely invade his mind.

(If he had paid attention the next day, he would have noticed Dean grumbling to Seamus how Ginny and he never went to the stroll because of a fight. If he had noticed more carefully, he would have seen the red haired blossoming lady touching her lips at intervals and looking at her boyfriend with a determined gleam in her eyes.)

****************************************************************************************************************************


End file.
